New concepts in product use for sustainable consumption

The paper presents the main results of a recent study on sustainable use of products. It reveals that strategies of use intensification and useful life extension are environmentally beneficial. Moreover, analysis of household washing and winter sports illustrated that successful implementation of sustainable use patterns occurs as a shift of use regimes. Such regimes are the result of a complex interplay of supply and demand side factors, relationship among actors, technical trajectories, organisational structures etc. One decisive factor is the presence of strategic players, so called "change agents". In addition, four user types have been identified in a representative survey ("ownership-oriented", "open-minded", "consumption-oriented", "low interest") to which use intensification and useful life extension can be targeted. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.